But how could Chu Keqing dare to stop this Senior Chen Yan?
Sun Chen felt a bit presumptuous too, but her nature was kind, and although she also felt it was a bit abrupt, she still took off the jade token and placed it on the table, smiling amiably, "If you like it, go ahead and look at it. Just be careful not to break it. This was given to me by the old lady, and it’s the thing she valued most; she insisted I wear it every day."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yan raised his eyebrows and then gently picked up the jade token, examining it carefully.
After about a minute, Chen Yan handed the jade token back to Sun Chen, who immediately put it back on with extreme caution.
"This is quite a precious item; please take good care of it," Chen Yan said very seriously.
With a sigh, Sun Chen seemed to become a bit more melancholy, "It’s the thing the old lady valued most. Of course, I will always take good care of it."
Looking at Chu Keqing, Chen Yan continued, "Today I discussed the eight characters and fate of the people in your household with Teacher Chu..."
Sun Chen appeared more serious as she looked at Chu Keqing.
Chu Keqing immediately nodded, "To survey a Yin dwelling, we need the eight characters of your closest relatives to determine the location. Today, I asked Chairman He for yours and your children’s birth dates and have analyzed the eight characters."
Sun Chen shook her head, "I don’t really understand this stuff."
Chen Yan continued, "It’s fine if you don’t understand, but... after analyzing the eight characters... Mrs. He, you and Boss He are a heavenly match!"
"Hmm..." Sun Chen’s expression froze.
"Let me put it this way, your eight characters and Boss He’s eight characters are the most compatible I’ve ever seen. Your union promises prolonged fortune, abundant descendants, and great wealth."
Chen Yan spoke quickly and then quietly observed Sun Chen’s reaction, "Such compatible eight characters; when you married Boss He, the old lady must have consulted a fortune-teller, right?"
Sun Chen laughed, "Well... they probably did. But the He family is a prominent family, things like marriage are typically done through matchmakers and fortune-telling, which is a tradition around here."
Sun Chen reminisced slowly, "When I was a girl, the old lady met me once and we shared a meal. I thought it was just a customary meeting arranged by the He family for my future mother-in-law to check me out.
A few days after that meal, the He family came to propose."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yan exchanged a quick secret glance with Chu Keqing... Could it be that the He family’s old lady was indeed a high master?
Was it possible that during the meal, she also did a face reading?
Sun Chen then smiled, "Now that you mention it, I remember that the old lady wasn’t alone during that meal; she brought another elder with her.
I thought it was a team effort to evaluate me, which made me so nervous that I was very cautious while eating, afraid of saying something wrong.
But after the wedding, I never saw that other elder again. I initially thought it was another elder from the He family. Later I asked the old lady, and she said it was an old friend of hers who happened to be visiting and joined us for the meal.
Thinking back now, maybe the old lady invited a high master?"
Chu Keqing promptly asked, "Sister Chen, are you saying that the first time the old lady saw you, during that meal where she took a liking to you, she brought another elder with her?"
"Yes, the three of us had that meal together, me, the old lady... and another elder, who was a friend of the old lady, also surnamed Huang. I remember my mom called her Sister." Sun Chen recalled, nodding, "Yes, that’s right, her surname was Huang, and my mom addressed her as Sister Shunying."
Surnamed Huang... Shunying. So her full name must be Huang Shunying?
Chu Keqing didn’t react much, but Chen Yan’s eyes widened.
His expression was inexplicably strange; he tried hard to suppress his shock.
His family’s old lady, that great divine woman known across ten miles, the venerable lord of the Domain Realm...
Her name on the ID card was Huang Shunying!
The He family’s old lady wasn’t the high master.
The high master was his family’s old lady!
This unexpected piece of information rendered Chen Yan silent for a moment.
Meanwhile, Sun Chen checked the time and got up, "Alright, I had the kitchen prepare a late-night snack for Old He, I need to go check on that. You all have a good rest tonight, the guest rooms in the backyard have been prepared, with all new bedding and toiletries."
Saying this, Mrs. He courteously bid farewell and left.
In the dining room, after seeing her off, Chu Keqing and Chen Yan returned to their seats. Noticing Chen Yan’s odd expression, Chu Keqing asked, "Senior, what’s wrong?"
Chen Yan shook his head, "Nothing, just seems I strained my back."
Waving his hand, he continued, "Let’s discuss today’s findings first."
Chu Keqing didn’t press the matter and slowly said, "Mrs. He brought over the guest list from when they held the funeral for the late old lady, as we requested."
As she spoke, she took out a booklet and placed it on the table.
Chen Yan glanced at it, "No need to look at the booklet just yet." He turned his gaze to the female assistant, "What about the information you gathered today?"
The female assistant moved closer and solemnly reported, "I asked around the village, talked to the barefoot doctor and barber... I even stopped by the small shop at the village entrance. But, I saw you playing mahjong there, so I didn’t dare interrupt you."